Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes admitted he thought Cristiano Ronaldo had scored for Portugal after the midfielder was credited for both goals in their 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday.
Fernandes helped his nation secure their place in the last 16 of the World Cup as Portugal joined France and Brazil as the three countries to make it out of the group stage after just two matches.
For Portugal's first goal, Fernandes curled in a cross that saw Ronaldo leap high into the air and appear to glance the header into the bottom corner. The 37-year-old wheeled away in delight, claiming the goal as his own, yet replays showed that the former United man did not make contact with the ball.
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This was then later confirmed in the stadium, as Ronaldo looked bemused when the PA system confirmed that the goal had been awarded to Fernandes instead. Speaking after the match, the United midfielder revealed that even he thought his former teammate had scored.
He said: “I celebrated as if it had been Cristiano's goal. It seemed to me that he had touched the ball. My aim was to cross the ball for him. We are happy with the victory regardless of who scored. The most important thing is that we achieved our aim which is to be in the next round.”
Manchester City defender Ruben Dias was also in action for Portugal and was pleased with his team's performance.
He said: “We know even though we have all the individuals in the world, if we don't work together we won't go anywhere. So this is a big example that we showed tonight. We are very happy we are moving forward to the next round. We must enjoy the moment.”
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